Supreme Court judges are not ‘political poodles’ - Governance expert

Governance Expert Professor Albert Puni has cautioned the public against antagonizing the judges at the Supreme Court since it goes a long way to undermine the integrities of the judges.

According to him, the judges are professionals who are undertaking their constitutional mandate and attempt by some to label them as agents of the government will mean reducing the judges to a mere ‘political poodles’.

“I don’t believe in that theory that because the Chief Justice and some of the judges were appointed by this government so they can be used, I don’t think so. The judges are professionals and know what they are about therefore it will be erroneous for people to say they are political poodles,” he said to Noel Nutsugah on Zylofon morning show, the Statecraft.

Professor Albert Puni’s comments followed a social media insinuation that seems to suggest that the outcome of the ongoing election petition being heard by the Supreme Court, have been written already.

He said the reputations of the judges are at stake and the whole world is watching the court proceedings, reasons why it is important for those who are engaging in such character assassination to desist. Intimating that why will the judges give a ruling that is biased when they know the world is watching and the country’s democracy is at stake.

Professor Albert Puni also noted that: “those theories of which government appoint which judges will always be with us. I remember during the 2012 election petition hearing, we have similar pronunciations, so such theories will be there but I don’t believe them. What matters is at the end of the day, the law is there and they are going to apply it. The judges are experienced people”

He described the petitioner’s decision to resort to the courts instead of the streets and violence, as good and called for all parties and their supporters to respect the Supreme Court’s ruling at the end of the trial.

“Things like this when they happen, it deepens our democracy and I think this is another opportunity for our democracy to grow,” he said.